Decentralised methods of producing and distributing energy can wrest control from the hands of monopolistic oil and gas firms, who have made record profits during the cost of living crisis, placing power into the hands of local communities.

The Bristol Energy Cooperative (BEC), a community-owned energy enterprise which has brought 17 clean energy projects into fruition since 2011, including two solar farms, has been an influential force in establishing several locally-managed projects including the ‘Water Lilies’ project in Lawrence Weston – a community ‘microgrid’ which enables citizens to power their own homes, reducing their reliance on the National Grid.

  • frazorthEnglish
    4·
    1 year ago

    This is great, and I would love to see more local cooperatives produce community energy.

  • ThePyroPythonEnglish
    3·
    1 year ago

    There’s a small scale one in Bethesda Wales. They have a small hydroelectric generator and there’s something called open-energy monitor which they can use within the energy cooperative to schedule power delivery to large load appliances like washing machines.

    Cooperatives are truly the way forward for any resource that has an element of common ownership like blocks of flats and community infrastructure.